In my mind growing up, the idea of fasting was always tied to food. My Catholic friends would fast during Lent—the 40 days leading up to Easter—by not eating meat on Fridays. While my family never observed Lent in the traditional sense, I was still encouraged to consider fasting from food as a spiritual discipline by abstaining from eating for 24 hours as a means to focus more attentively on God.
In many ways, my views on fasting have not changed. I still see spiritual value in removing food for a period of 24 hours. The practice does indeed heighten awareness of spiritual matters.
And nothing I write beyond this point is meant to take away from that practice or the spiritual benefits of it. I only mean to add to it.
You see, as I have matured in my life (and my spirituality), I have begun to recognize additional value in the discipline of fasting. Moving beyond abstaining from food, I have also learned to appreciate the benefits of fasting from almost anything in moderation.
Fasting, it seems to me, is ultimately about self-control. It is about the intentional removal of one, external controlling factor in our lives for a period of time. It is an exercise in self-control. And self-control holds benefit for all—regardless of our faith or nonfaith preferences.
In college, for the first time, I set out to give up one “controlling factor” in my life for a period of 40 days—a form of fasting that drew inspiration from my Catholic friends (although I’ll be quick to admit that most world religions embrace some form of fasting).
My thinking went like this, “If there is any external reality in my life that I could not give up for 40 days, it has become a controlling influence on me. By definition, I have lost an element of self-control.”
Over the years, as a result of this exercise, I have fasted from television for 40 days, eating out for 40 days, my cell phone for 40 days, and candy for 40 days. Each time, I chose one thing that would be difficult to part with for a period of days, and then challenged myself to go without it as an exercise in self-control.
Each time, it seemed, I learned more about myself and gained additional insight into finding balance in my life.
I am not alone in my practice of this discipline. The Minimalists recently gave up social media for 30 days. Courtney Carver has written about giving up sugar for 30 days. And almost everyone who attempts an extended shopping ban will tell you it was worth it.
There is value in this practice—however you choose to embrace it.
Currently, my fasting practice looks a bit different than the extended period of abstaining 30 or 40 days from a specific item. Over the past year, I have returned to the 24-hour model of intermittent fasting, choosing to abstain from coffee on Saturdays. It’s not a long, drawn-out practice that requires pre-planning of any sort. It’s just a simple reminder to me—every weekend—that I am in control of my habits, not coffee.
Recently, I texted a friend to see if I could call her about a writing project on a Sunday evening. She said I’d have to wait until Monday, “Sunday evenings are family time. I don’t do any work on purpose.” Just another form of fasting, I thought to myself.
There is value in this discipline. Here’s a quick guide to get started:
1. Choose one external influence in your life to fast from. The best practice for testing (and strengthening) self-control is to choose an item you imagine would be difficult to part with. Finish this sentence, “I could never go 40 days without ____________.” Whatever pops into your head might be a good place to start. Maybe it’s chocolate or Facebook or alcohol or Netflix. You get to decide.
2. Choose a period of time (or regular interval) for your exercise. You may choose 7 days, 40 days, or 365. Or maybe you want to fast every Saturday, every weekend, or every first week of the month. Again, the choice is yours. But do choose a period or interval of time that will challenge you and require a measure of self-control on your end.
3. Make arrangements if necessary. If you are choosing to abstain from sugar for 30 days, it might not be wise to keep lots of sugary snacks in your pantry. If you decide to give up television for a period of time, it may be beneficial to remove the temptation entirely (assuming other members in your family do not object). When I gave up eating out for 40 days, I needed to think through and prepare adequately for brown bag lunches each day instead.
4. Embrace the discipline and expect the beginning to be the hardest. There is nothing wrong with this being difficult—especially at first. Expect it and embrace it. In fact, if the fasting is not difficult for you, you may want to consider choosing something more difficult to give up.
5. Find meaning in defeat. If you give in at some point during the experiment and succumb to the temptation, don’t lose heart. Make failure your servant by examining its root. And then get back up to try again.
6. Re-enter slowly. When you complete your exercise, reintroduce the item into your life deliberately. Remember, you have not committed to giving up something for the rest of your life—only for a predetermined period of time. But that doesn’t mean you automatically return the element to the same level of influence it had before. Almost certainly you will have learned something during the process that will enable you to reintroduce the item in a healthier manner.
Many of the external items that subconsciously control our lives are not needs, they are wants (coffee, dessert, television, Facebook, etc.). But we have become so accustomed to having them in our lives on a daily basis, we quickly confuse our wants and our needs.
Fasting from anything (and/or everything) for a set period of time helps put these items back in proper perspective and gives us the strength to walk away when necessary.
There is value in the practice of fasting. I have found this to be true. So will you.
Judith Bentley says
I shared this on my FB timeline and added my story of giving more. Thank you.
JUDITH
Jordan says
It’s a bit embarrassing to admit that I have never truly done a “fast” of any sort. Sure there were days that I “unplugged” from social media, or tried to avoid caffeine, however, I’ve never been this intentional at giving something up. This has my wheels turning and I intend to give something up – whether it’s shopping, eating out, or social media – for the next 40 days.
Jessica Willmore says
Thank you thank you for this article! It was something I needed to hear. In my faith we do so 24 hour fast and a Sunday fast keeping from certain things. But this has made me evaluate and recognize that this is something I need to do a little broader not just food. Thank you, you inspired my day. Forever greatful
ivana split says
I do agree with everything you wrote. Fasting can be beneficial in so many ways. I grew up in a catholic country that has religion as a part of its curriculum, so every year we would have to write essays for school and explain why we fast and what we will give up for Lent.
Giving up things is always good for self- discipline. There are so many different ways in which we can fast. I often give up shopping for Lent.
Judy says
Such a refreshing post. It’s nice to hear people having conversations about God :)
Roz says
Yes! Perfect for someone like me, who failed miserably all the Lent fasting resolutions I set out for myself. Doing it gradually or intermittently could be a great solution.
Mitchel says
The mental clarity gained from a fast is powerful. Another important aspect is what fasting does to our cellular machinery. A process of autophagy occurs where the body cleanses itself of damaged cells and is boosted by intermittent fasting. There is some interesting data coming from cancer research on that topic.
Neels says
Thank you Joshua. Really well written and easy to read reminder of the benefits of fasting to help navigate through the things in life that can take a hold on us. I needed to read this today. Gracias!
Lucy Johnson says
I’m currently approx half way through my Lenten fast of not buying anything except food till Good Friday (excluding mortgage and utility bills). It’s been strange not buying things but not as hard as other people keep telling me it must me. I may change that thought when I run out of shampoo later this week but of course this is when I will get creative! It has certainly made me more grateful for every thing I do have and that I live in a first world country. I’ve even had the misfortune to require emergency treatment and thanks to the NHS I had free at the point of use treatment.
This article is great for planning your fast. However I literally decided on Ash Wednesday what I was giving so there was no planning (hense the lack of shampoo) but it has been quite fun with the improvisation so far.
Varvara says
Thank you! The tradition of Lent is fading among my friends and colleagues, I think it’s because the orthodox Lent is too strict for many people – you must quit eating meat, fish and dairy products for the whole period. However, for some people it’s a good time to challenge their eating habits if they are thinking of going vegan.
Last year I fasted on coffee, sugar and pastry for a month. It helped me to realize that I don’t need those things in the same amounts any more. But when I’m introducing healthy habits like eating fruit daily or doing exercise, I usually fail after a week or two. I’d really appreciate some advice on that.
Tine says
Many people forget or don’t know that Sundays are considered feast days, and therefore the rules for fasting do not apply. If you are trying to break free from an addiction, it’s probably smarter not to go back to that on Sundays, but for fasting from food in Lent, Sundays are free.
Jay says
I have fasted from time to time and I admit I quite enjoyed it!! So long as I kept busy I can easily manage 24+ hours without food passing my lips. I’ve found that once you get past breakfast, it’s a breeze. You don’t actually need to eat breakfast and lunch. It’s a habit and one worth breaking even if it’s only once a week. On my fasting days I feel more vital, more lucid and bizarre to say I actually have more energy than usual. Give it a try. It’s so easy, I promise!!